Dental bite blocks



April 13, 1954 J. M. CRAIGO DENTAL BITE BLOCKS Filed July 7, 1952 FIG.2

INVENTOR JOHN M. CRA I60 AT TORNE Patented Apr. 13, 1954 DENTAL BITE BLOCKS John M. Craigo, East Hartford, Conn., assignor to Helen E. Craigo and John R. Craigo, both of East Hartford, Conn., jointly Application July 7, 1952, Serial No. 297,557

Claims. 1

This invention relates to improved means employed for the purpose of making dentures and more particularly adapted for making complete upper and lower dentures; some features, however, of the invention are applicable to the making of partial dentures.

An object of the invention is to provide improved upper and lower bite blocks provided with bite rims comprising separated lateral metal members mounted within moulded wax foundations forming the base blocks and conforming to and closely fitting the upper and lower tooth ridge portions of a patients mouth.

The metal arch bite rims may be angularly tilted to conform to the desired curvature of the mating line of the teeth to enable the teeth of the denture to be properly located and co-ordinated to the mas'ticating movements of the patent being fitted with the denture.

A feature of importance of the invention is that the denture forming devices comprise metal strips seated within the adjacent or mating surfaces of the moulded wax structures forming the bite blocks, these inserted metal members are so positioned that they form portions of the mating surfaces of the teeth in the dentures to be formed by means of the device.

Another object of importance of the invention is that an annular tongue holder is provided waxed in fixed position in the upper moulded base block and so placed that the pressure of the tip of the tongue within the central recess of the holder will retain the upper base block firmly in position.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention may include the features of construction and operation set forth in the following specification and illustrate-d in the accompanying drawing.

In the accompanying drawing annexed hereto and forming a part of this specification, I have shown the invention embodied in a form of twopart denture forming appliance particularly adapted for making complete upper and lower dentures, but it will be understood that the invention can be otherwise embodied and that the drawing is not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims appended to this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical central sectional view of the complete denture making appliance shown in position within the mouth of a (patient; Fig. 2 is a complete side elevation of the appliance shown in Fig. 1, the appliance being shown in closed position;

Fig. 3 is an inverted perspective view of the upper half of the appliance showing the tongue holder in place within the upper base block, and after some of the anterior teeth have been set in place;

Fig. 4 is a similar perspective view of the lower half of the appliance, after some of the anterior teeth have been set in place;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the upper half of the appliance shown in Fig. 3, the view being taken looking toward the anterior portion of the bite block;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the tongue retainer with the fastening lugs in position for fitting into and waxing to the bite block;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the metal inserts or bite rims for the lower bite block;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the bite rims for the upper bite block;

Figs. 9, l0 and 11 are angular adaptors or wedges for the bite rim;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the lower base block, and bite rim with one of the angular adaptors or wedges in place and the relation to the teeth in the opposite bite block;

Fig. 13 is a view of the angular adaptor at right angles to the view in Fig. 12 and showing the relationship to the teeth in the upper bite block; and.

Fig. 14 shows alternate simplified forms of the upper and lower bite rims made from flat stampings and without lateral flanges.

In the above mentioned drawing, there has been shown but one complete embodiment of the invention which is now deemed preferable, but it is to be understood that changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The application covers an improved form of denture making appliance similar generally to the appliance shown in my copending application, Ser. No. 157,312, filed April 21, 1950, now U. S. Patent No. 2,610,402, issued September 16, 1952.

Referring more in detail to the figures of the drawing and first to Figs. 1 to 4, it will be seen that the upper and lower base blocks or moulds It! and [2, respectively, are made from impressions taken of the patients upper and lower mouth portions to which the denture is to be fitted. These bite or base blocks'are made in the usual manner and are built up to the proper height with a hard wax composition so that their ridges conform to the biting edges of the teeth in the denture being made.

Bite rims l4 and N5 of sheet metal formed as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 are then adhesively embedded in the lateral portions of the ridges of these moulded members 10 and I2 and with these rims in place the patient may repeatedly bring the jaws together to test the alignment curvature, etc. of the bite rims. The metal bite rims are then securely waxed in proper position determined by the jaw movements of the patient.

After the metal bite rims l4 and I6 have been securely fastened within their base blocks some of the anterior teeth ll may be embedded therein in the usual manner. This placing of the anterior teeth is possible as the metal bite rims l4 and [6 do not extend across the front portions of the blocks. To facilitate positioning the base blocks in an articulator for future processing, an indicating median line may be indented at the central front portion. This indicating line is shown at I!) in the lower base block 12. It will be understood that a line corresponding to line I9 will be indented in alignment therewith in the upper block not shown.

As shown in Fig. 4 the lower bite rim l6 comprises separated lateral metal members one side member only being shown separately in Fig. '7.

These lateral rim members It, one for the left and another for the right lateral portion, external and internal, have flanges [8 depending from the plane or platform area, these flanges l3 being on both labial and lingual surfaces of the bite rim retain the rims securely in place when waxed to the block. The two members l6 forming the lower bite rim also have pins 20 outstanding from a central portion of their platform areas, one pin being removably retained and centrally positioned in each rim member.

To aid in properly mounting the base blocks I0 and I2 in an articulator indicia lines 2! may be provided on the outside flanges which will be in alignment when the blocks are subsequently processed. The lines may be indented by a sharp instrument after the bite rims have been waxed in their proper positions so that the line in block will be in alignment with the other. Center lines 2 I on the upper surfaces of the bite rims l6 will facilitate the mounting of these rims on the bite block It? in proper positions, i. e. these center lines 2| should be aligned with the center lines of the posterior ridges.

The upper bite rim portions l4, one of which is separately shown in Fig. 8, also are provided with flanges 22 extending partially along their inner and outer sides. This rim (4 also is made in two lateral members, one for each lateral portion of the upper bite block H]. The central platform area of each of these upper bite rim portions [4 is formed with a depression 24 into which a soft wax composition may be moulded for a purpose presently to be described. Biting movements of the jaw with the bite rims l4 and 16 mounted in position in the moulded upper and lower blocks 10 and [2 will cause the pins in the lower bite rim portions Hi to press into the wax covered area 24 of the upper bite rim portions l4. Masticating movements of the jaw may be repeated until it is certain that the bite rims are properly positioned in relation to their blocks and to each other. The moulded blocks 10 and I2 may then be removed from the patients mouth and the dentures completed in the usual manner after mounting in an articu later. To more firmly retain the upper and lower bite blocks in their proper relative positions during subsequent processing, the short pins 20 shown in the figures may be removed and longer ones substituted. These longer pins may enter holes pierced through or penetrating well into the upper bite block by a sharp instrument entering the depressions made in the wax in the upper bite rims.

The lateral sections [4 and I6 of metal forming the upper and lower bite rims form a firm surface in each of the bite blocks and enable the meeting surfaces of the dentures to be determined accurately. Adjustments of the rim sections I4 and I5 may be made by building them up with wax until they are in a position comfortable to the patient and symmetrically positioned within the mouth. By the positioning of pins 20 in the Wax filled area 24 of the upper bite block M, the blocks l0 and 12 after fitting and removal from the patients mouth will be accurately retained in proper relative position within an articulator for processing. I

To facilitate accommodation of the bite rims to the desired curve and angular disposition, angular adaptors 23 may be provided on the lateral portions of the lower bite block. These may be Waxed in position thereon to form a platform disposed at the proper oblique angle and curve. The teeth when mounted in the upper block will be brought into position with their masticating surfaces lying against the surface of the wedge member 23.

To firmly and accurately retain the upper moulded base block 14 in position within the mouth during the fitting of the members 23 a retainer 26 is provided for the tip of the tongue. This retainer 26, separated from the moulded bite block I0, is shown in Fig. 6 and comprises a sheet metal stamping that may be Waxed into fixed position within its block. For this purpose lateral projections 28 are formed, three being shown of which two, which extend laterally. may be embedded into the moulded wax of the upper block It. A third, forwardly projecting projection 30, may rest against the forward portion of the roof of the bite block. With the tip of the tongue inserted within the central opening 32 of the retainer 26 the block it] is anchored firmly into its central forward position and is retained in that position during the fitting of the bite rims I4 and [6.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4 some of the anterior teeth have been mounted in position in the base blocks. To place the posterior teeth in their respective positions the blocks are mounted in an articulator. The blocks are so mounted in position in the articulator that corresponding indicating lines 19 and 2| at the front and sides of the upper and lower blocks, respectively, are aligned with each other. With the proper positioning of one of the members 23 in the lower base block if called for the posterior teeth are mounted in the upper base block. First, on one side of the upper base block H3 a portion of the moulded wax is removed to accommodate one or more of the posterior teeth. The masti eating surface of each tooth when mounted is in contact with the surface of the lower bite rim. When the posterior teeth on both sides of the upper base block are positioned, this block is ready for the final moulding operation.

With the completion of mounting theteeth in the upper base block, their positions can be checked and adjusted if necessary to conform to the lower bite block. The posterior teeth in the lower block are then positioned in the same manner as was done in setting the teeth in the upper block. With both upper and lower bite blocks provided with their teeth the J'ustification can be determined.

There is shown in Fig. 14 simplified forms of the upper and lower bite rims in which the inner and outer flanges are omitted. The upper bite rim 34 shown in this figure instead of having a depression into which wax may be pressed is provided with an opening 35 so that with the rim in place on the block 10 wax may fill the hole or opening. The lower bite rim 38 is provided with an orifice to accommodate the pin.

In Figs. 10 and 11 depressions are shown in the platform surfaces of the wedge members. Teeth for the upper block Hi may be embedded in soft wax applied to the surfaces of these wedge members so that their positions may be spaced and adjusted accurately.

I claim as my invention:

1. A set of complementary dental bite blocks comprising built-up wax formations including posterior ridge portions having surfaces opposite one another in the upper and lower blocks, respectively, individual metal plates secured to said surfaces of said posterior ridge portions and flanges integral with said plates, extending partially along their length and contacting the sides of the respective ridge portions.

2. In a set of complementary dental bite blocks comprising built-up plastic formations including posterior ridge portions having surfaces opposite one another in the upper and lower blocks, re-

spectively, individual plates of rigid material placed on said surfaces of said posterior portions and wedge-shaped adapter members secured to the free surfaces of said plates in one of said bite blocks.

3. In a set of complementary dental bite blocks comprising built-up plastic formations conforming to the upper and lower mouth portions including lateral ridge portions in the posterior region of the mouth, individual strips of rigid material placed on said posterior ridge portions so that the free surfaces of said plates on respectively oppositely disposed ridge portions define the mating plane of said blocks, said individual strips having flanges extending partially along their length and contacting the sides of the respective ridge portions.

4. In a set of complementary dental bite blocks according to claim 3, wherein marking lines are provided on the outer of said flanges of said opposite strips to indicate the properly aligned closed position of said blocks.

5. A set of complementary dental bite blocks comprising built-up plastic formations including posterior ridge portions having surfaces opposite one another in the upper and lower blocks respectively, individual strips of rigid material secured to said surfaces of said posterior portions in said bite blocks, and indicia lines normal to the bite positioned in the outer portions of said opposite strips to indicate the properly aligned closed position of said blocks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

